READY FOR COLLEGE

AGH, August and September just flew by so quickly, I didn't even have time to mentally prepare myself for the upcoming school year... For my first year of college, I didn't really have any expectations, but I was still taken aback by how competitive it was, and it surprised me how much I actually struggled with my classes. Maybe this doesn't make me the most qualified person to give advice on how to prepare for the upcoming college year, but I'll share what I learned, and hopefully it will help you, whether you're a freshman gearing up for the chaos ahead or just anybody looking for some tips on how to stay focused this school year.

1. Don't Fall Behind
Keep up with your work! Last year, I struggled with chemistry and let myself fall behind a day at a time, and eventually it ended up having this snowball effect. If you have a question-- GET IT SOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Ask your friends, teachers, and classmates, and review your notes every day.

2. Stay Organized + Stop Procrastinating
With your own schedule going on, and all the other things in life, it's important that you have a way to organize everything you have to get done. I like to use the simple Reminders app on my iPhone to list individual homework tasks, but if you tend to procrastinate, I recommend Habitica. You control a little character and your life depends on getting your tasks done, so you get more motivated to get that work done!

3. Don't Be Afraid to Fail
You can't succeed without finding out your weaknesses, and sometimes we find out our weaknesses when it's too late (I'm talking about my chemistry final). The important thing to take away from is it is that you have to find out what you did wrong.

Stubbornly trudging on with the same study techniques could yield the same result, so don't be afraid to fail, as long as you learn from it and prevent it in the future. I didn't do too hot on my first quarter of chemistry, but I saw a significant change in my grades the following quarter once I started changing my study habits.

4. Look for Support
Being the "shy" or "quiet" student kind of sucked-- I was always afraid of asking questions or finding people, but maybe having a friend or two in the class would've helped me. There were so many resources available to me, but sometimes it's nice having someone to quickly message on Facebook to ask about that one stubborn problem.

If you're really struggling with a concept or problem, definitely go out and mingle with the people sitting around you, or go to study sessions/office hours. You're most likely paying for school, so you might as well take advantage of what you're paying for-- and you never know, it may just be the key to your success!

5. Remember Your Purpose
WHY AM I ENDURING COUNTLESS HOURS OF CHEMISTRY?! I ask myself too many existential questions when I'm stressed. And what really helped me get through the toughest days was to remember why I was doing this in the first place. I found it important to look at the big picture: I'm in college because I want to ____________. This task ahead of you is just another step towards achieving this bigger picture. So be mindful and focus on this specific task and moment, and the rest will follow.